Comment

Andy Smith, AA patrol of the year, says: "It's been a busy year for the whole country and the AA has been no exception – it's good to know we've helped so many members get on their way this year.

"Our top breakdowns are remarkably consistent but we’ve noticed a marked increase in the number of problems with lights over the last 12 months, which may show that fewer drivers feel able to change bulbs themselves.

"Although modern cars have longer service intervals, the basics of car maintenance haven't really changed, so it still pays to pop the bonnet and do the regular checks.

"However, although up to half of breakdowns are preventable, often you have no control over them which can potentially leave you in a stressful and dangerous situation.

"Whether it's on a Monday morning or a Sunday night, breakdown cover offers year-round peace of mind for far less than the cost of one-off emergency assistance from a garage."

AA friend at home too…

The AA’s Home Emergency Response service saved customers from all kinds of problems in their homes.

As well as that, research from the AA Driving School told many parents what they already knew – they spend a very long time transporting their children about in the car. Some parents admitted they spend as much as 50 hours a month driving mum and dad's taxi – which amounts to an enormous 25 days a year.

On the plus side, there's drive to encourage the next generation of motorists. Around 19 AA Driving School instructors were on hand to help under-17s have their first experience of driving at AA World at the Silverstone Classic in July.

AA Insurance highlights

Insurance has been very topical this year with changes to legislation, flooding and the European court of Justice gender ruling and AA Insurance has commented regularly on these issues. Among the more interesting highlights during the year were:

July: freak weather peppered Leicestershire with cricket-ball sized hailstones, which wrote off hundreds of cars. Nationally, 14,000 cars were estimated to have been damaged or written-off by flooding, storms and hail, costing insurers up to £35 million.

August: AA Insurance hailed the one-millionth uninsured car to be seized by police, but warned that uninsured driving remains a serious issue with 1 in 25 drivers still on Britain's roads without cover. Uninsured driving adds £30 to every car policy bought in Britain.

December: With the first frost of winter, AA Insurance was notified by 10 customers that their cars had been stolen off their drives while left with the engine running to warm up. Insurers are unlikely to meet claims for cars stolen in this way. This winter, never leave your car unattended with the keys in it.